


Rescue and Retrieval

by I_mNotYourEnemy



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Gen, damian/cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 23:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_mNotYourEnemy/pseuds/I_mNotYourEnemy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somehow a quiet night out on patrol leads to Robin rescuing a cat. He's pretty sure he prefers the supervillains.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rescue and Retrieval

The shadows shifted as Robin manoeuvred about Gotham’s streets with an ease that wrongly suggested years of familiarity. His senses were honed to block out the bustle and general noise of the people nearby, allowing him to focus more clearly on those in danger. His patrol route deviated through the majority of the city’s side streets, where most attacks occurred. Batman was taking the aerial route which left Robin to undergo his patrol alone, not that it was much of a bother. They kept in touch through their earpieces, checking in every half hour or so to confirm that they were unharmed, but conversed little beyond that. Neither of them had ever been particularly talkative.

The night so far had been mundane, progressing slowly with surprisingly few incidents kept Robin occupied. He was mostly left alone with his thoughts, although they were sporadically interrupted whenever he detected a shriek that was apparently of laughter. Damian still had issues deciphering which were exclamations of joy and which were terror because, honestly, who needed to make that much noise? Had no one ever heard of quiet appreciation? Tt, of course not. This was Gotham, after all, and if something was being done quietly then it was something to be wary of.

Around the time he assumed was midnight, Robin heard a particularly high pitched scream from the alley to his left. He had been traversing through the lower-class residential areas so he doubted much had really happened. Not many people around here had anything worth stealing, so he mentally crossed off a mugging as he neared the victim. Attackers tended to gravitate more towards the girls who looked rich enough to live a comfortable life but not as if they could fight back. That was never really an issue, though; Batman and Robin could fight for them.

The source of the scream, it seemed, was a reasonably young girl—around five or six years old, Damian deduced—whose chubby cheeks were tear-streaked and shaking hand was pointing to the fire escape ahead of her. Robin’s nostrils flared as he exhaled a frustrated sigh; thanks to his predecessors, he’d gained a reputation for being good with the public and far more approachable than Batman. This assumption was completely delusional.

With a roll of his eyes, he approached the girl, squaring his shoulders and drawing himself to his full height as to exert as much authority as he could. “Is there a problem, Miss?”

His appearance had evidently gone unnoticed as she started and spun to face him. He was somewhat worried that her face would split due to the sheer size of her smile as her eyes settled on him. He tried to fight down his scowl.

“Robin! You can help me, can't you?” Her voice was high and still tainted with innocence--something that hardly thrived in Gotham.

“That depends entirely on the situation,” he replied, his head inclining slightly in curiosity.

“It’s Bella,” the girl said, looking back up to the fire escape. Robin followed her gaze. His brows furrowed when he spotted a small, fragile-looking cat perched at the top. “She won’t come down.”

He raised a brow and repeated slowly in a tone that suggested immense stupidity, “You want me, Robin, the Boy Wonder, to rescue a cat.” The girl nodded enthusiastically. Although Damian would not admit it aloud, he was rather fond of the creatures. Of course, he would always favour strong dogs but felines had their own appealing attributes. “I suppose I have nothing more important to do.”

He pulled his grappling hook from his belt, checked its settings, and then aimed it at the roof. Soon enough, he was pulled off his feet and prepared for his quick landing. The cat, clearly startled by the sudden noise, hissed at him. Its dark fur was slightly matted in some areas and it looked as if it’d been up there for a while. He made a mental note to ask the girl how long she had been waiting for her cat. 

Bella made little to no fuss when Robin jumped down from the rooftop with a metallic thud and scooped her up. She curled into his arms and he thought he could feel her shaking. His descent back to the ground was graceful and seemingly effortless. He crouched upon landing and moved to hand the cat over to her owner as he stood. The girl apparently had other ideas.

She squealed in delight and raced over to Robin, her loosely curled locks swinging behind her. Instead of taking back Bella, she wrapped her arms around Robin’s torso and squeezed, a mantra of ‘thankyouthankyouthankyou’ pouring from her mouth. The one-sided embrace only lasted for a few seconds and Damian assumed the girl thought he wasn’t hugging back because of the cat nestled in his arms. When she released him, she took a couple of steps back, still beaming her gap-toothed smile. Her arms extended in a sign for the cat to be placed in them and Damian felt almost sorry for her as the girl cooed and tugged at her ears.

“Amelia! Honey, where are you?”

“You shouldn’t be out this late,” Robin reprimanded, the parental voice reminding him of the time. “It’s unsafe for everyone, most of all little girls such as yourself.”

Her shoulders rose in a small shrug as she looked torn between staying and talking to Robin and running back home. “But I’ve got you to protect me, right? We all have!” She left him no time to question this remark. She trotted off in the direction of her mother’s voice and Robin lingered just long enough to ensure that she made it home safely.

“Robin? Do you copy?”

He blinked up at the darkness, as if Batman’s voice had descended from above instead if sounding in his ear. He raised a hand to the device and held down a small button. “Yes, father. I’m fine.”


End file.
